72 Cases Of Illicit Sex Reported Last Year

Bandar Seri Begawan - A Total of 72 cases of illicit sex were registered in 2007 under Act 178 of the Syariah (Islamic) Law. These illegitimate relationships resulted in birth of 44 children. Under Act 177, 172 cases of khalwat were registered, which included 19 people under the age of 20.

This was disclosed by Pengiran Hj Mohd Tashim, acting head registrar of the Syariah Appeal Court, during the Fiqh Semasa Seminar held at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) yesterday.

He was speaking at a session which discussed the occurrence of khalwat (close proximity between sexes) and zina (adultery) among the nation's youth and the causes and effects of such acts.

In his presentation, Pengiran Hj Mohd Tashim said cases of khalwat and zina were the result of members of the opposite sex mixing freely.

Pengiran Hj Mohd Tashim blamed such social behaviour for khalwat and zina and the phenomenon of teenage pregnancies and abandonment of babies to name a few.

The acting head registrar went on to list the penalties and punishments for khalwat and zina.

Zina in its broad meaning indicates any prohibited (haram) act, whether the act is sexual intercourse or a look, talk, touch, or desire that is related to or may lead to illicit sexual relations. Zina is considered a major sin in Islam and, depending on the gravity of the situation, those caught in the act can be sentenced to 100 strokes of the cane.

Khalwat occurs when an individual is with a person who is not his or her legal spouse in a secluded area or confined place, engaged in immoral activity. If convicted, the individual can be subjected to a fine, imprisonment or both.

Pengiran Hj Mohd Tashim said free mixing of members of the opposite sex has become a common sight these days and is considered normal and accepted by parents and the community at large.

In his working paper, he emphasised that such behaviour can lead to a vicious cycle of crime, prostitution, family break-up, social and community breakdown.

Parents, family and the community have a responsibility to look after the youth and protect them against such dangers and youth should be made aware that such social behaviour can lead to social ills.

Pengiran Hj Mohd Tashim blamed lack of proper religious knowledge and education for this social ill.

Negative exposure to the media and advances in information technology are also some of the factors.

To curb such practice, he suggested that parental control and dealing firmly with such behaviour were required.

The other measures he mentioned included pursuing youth to attend prayers, organising religious workshops and seminars.  -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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